Visa Success
As some are aware we were applying for e-3 visas. Well, after a lot of messing around (par for the course with INS) we have received approval for these work visas. Thanks to all of you for your prayers.
The Church and the Real World
Church and the Real World
God’s people are His church. The church of Christ is not a place but a people, a redeemed people who owe their whole identity to their relationship with Jesus. All that came through His grace (the power to make it happen) and our faith (the means of access to the power).
Yet often the church gets mistaken for other things. Often it is seen as the field in which we work. We do all our spiritual work in the church and we barely tolerate the world. Yet, Jesus is very clear that the field in which we labor is the world. The church is to live in the world. It is to be a light to dark world. It is here to change the world through the proclamation and incarnation of the Word.
Often the church is seen as the authority in our lives. What the church accepts or doesn’t accept is seen as the final world on what is right or wrong. Yet, Christ never gave it such authority. Jesus has that authority and He never gave it away. The church is not the police of the Word. It is the proclaimer of the Word. God will enforce His word. He told us to teach it and preach it.
Church is often seen a group of people who think they are perfect. Nothing is further from the truth. The church is a hospital for sinners that sinners are never told to leave. They are forgiven and they forgive but they never become perfect until Jesus takes them home to heaven.
The church needs to live in the real world. It needs to teach the ignorant, preach Jesus to the lost, feed the hungry, liberate the enslaved, comfort the hurting, and give hope to the hopeless. Who is the church? It is you and it is me. We have a lot of work to do.
God’s people are His church. The church of Christ is not a place but a people, a redeemed people who owe their whole identity to their relationship with Jesus. All that came through His grace (the power to make it happen) and our faith (the means of access to the power).
Yet often the church gets mistaken for other things. Often it is seen as the field in which we work. We do all our spiritual work in the church and we barely tolerate the world. Yet, Jesus is very clear that the field in which we labor is the world. The church is to live in the world. It is to be a light to dark world. It is here to change the world through the proclamation and incarnation of the Word.
Often the church is seen as the authority in our lives. What the church accepts or doesn’t accept is seen as the final world on what is right or wrong. Yet, Christ never gave it such authority. Jesus has that authority and He never gave it away. The church is not the police of the Word. It is the proclaimer of the Word. God will enforce His word. He told us to teach it and preach it.
Church is often seen a group of people who think they are perfect. Nothing is further from the truth. The church is a hospital for sinners that sinners are never told to leave. They are forgiven and they forgive but they never become perfect until Jesus takes them home to heaven.
The church needs to live in the real world. It needs to teach the ignorant, preach Jesus to the lost, feed the hungry, liberate the enslaved, comfort the hurting, and give hope to the hopeless. Who is the church? It is you and it is me. We have a lot of work to do.
Christmas
What is Christmas?
It originated in some strange mix of worldly religions and state churches. In different nations, the practice of Christmas varies. In England it is Father Christmas who brings the presents. In the USA it is Santa Claus. In the Netherlands it is Cinta Claus. In Australia it is kangaroos not reindeers who pull the slay.
Whatever its origins, when I am asked, “What is Christmas?” my answer is that it is one of the greatest opportunities we have each year to share the real Jesus with our neighborhoods.
We try month after month to try and get people to come to church or come to some outreach activity and so we should. The gospel enterprise is a twelve month a year commission. Yet there is once or twice a year when a large number of folks in our community actually want to come to church. Christmas is one of them. I’m not into celebrating Christmas as divinely ordained act of worship but that doesn’t mean I am going to ignore it either. My neighbors want to come to church and I want them to come to Christ’s church at Glendale. There are some many counterfeit Christ’s out there. My neighbors deserve to hear about the real Jesus.
So, I will exhort the church to celebrate Jesus. That always right to do. If the angels could worship the Christ then so can we. And if my neighbors are deluded enough to want to go to church for a “Christmas” event then I will use that to get an opportunity to reach them with the gospel.
So let’s celebrate Jesus. Let’s sing some songs about Jesus. Let’s raise Him up to the glory of God. Let us take advantage of any opportunity we can. Like Paul said, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
It originated in some strange mix of worldly religions and state churches. In different nations, the practice of Christmas varies. In England it is Father Christmas who brings the presents. In the USA it is Santa Claus. In the Netherlands it is Cinta Claus. In Australia it is kangaroos not reindeers who pull the slay.
Whatever its origins, when I am asked, “What is Christmas?” my answer is that it is one of the greatest opportunities we have each year to share the real Jesus with our neighborhoods.
We try month after month to try and get people to come to church or come to some outreach activity and so we should. The gospel enterprise is a twelve month a year commission. Yet there is once or twice a year when a large number of folks in our community actually want to come to church. Christmas is one of them. I’m not into celebrating Christmas as divinely ordained act of worship but that doesn’t mean I am going to ignore it either. My neighbors want to come to church and I want them to come to Christ’s church at Glendale. There are some many counterfeit Christ’s out there. My neighbors deserve to hear about the real Jesus.
So, I will exhort the church to celebrate Jesus. That always right to do. If the angels could worship the Christ then so can we. And if my neighbors are deluded enough to want to go to church for a “Christmas” event then I will use that to get an opportunity to reach them with the gospel.
So let’s celebrate Jesus. Let’s sing some songs about Jesus. Let’s raise Him up to the glory of God. Let us take advantage of any opportunity we can. Like Paul said, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Travels etc
Julie and I will be traveling back to Australia for a visit together for the first time in nearly four years. I will be there for the first 2 weeks of December and Julie will be there for most of December.
I am really looking forward to spending time with my boys and my mother. It's been a long time. Also looking forward to visiting with lots of my friends.
Had a great Connect Sunday at Glendale. Lots of visitors and lots of connecting. Great to see.
Julie's birthday was also on Sunday and we had visitors all day from all over wishing her a Happy Birthday. She had a wonderful. We went to the Springsteen concert last Monday for our birthdays (Have I mentioned that before). Bruce can still rock at 58.
News
This has been the third time Julie and I have been close to major bushfires. Once in Sydney. Once in San Diego. And now in Los Angeles. We have never been in danger, even when we were evacuated, but it is a very disturbing time.
One of friends thought that their house had been burned down but they were overjoyed to hear that their house had been spared. Many of their neighbors had lost their houses but for some reason theirs was left untouched. I don't know how God works in these things but I still thank him for my friend's blessing.
The fires are receding and the Chargers are back at Qualcomm stadium and they are back to their winning ways. Life is returning to normal.
Tonight Julie and I celebrate our birthdays by going to the Bruce Springsteen concert. We saw him 22 years ago in Sydney and we are so happy we get to see him again.
This weekend is a big one for us at church. Wednesday Family Fall Festival. Friday and Saturday Fall Bible School and Connect Sunday. This is our first outreach Sunday since my arrival at Glendale. We are praying that it will be a great time of connection with the Father.
Worship With the Church (1)
I have been a member of the Church of Christ for 35 years and I am very grateful for its heritage and its emphasis on biblical authority. I still maintain that it is a biblical priority to make sure we have a valid biblical authority for our practices. However, I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to our worship gatherings as the church that we have very little biblical authority for practices and things that we hold to so strongly. I am referring to practices that we will allow churches to split over or that we will argue vehemently in favor of.
I find myself surprised that in a movement that has as one of its highest values, the idea of biblical authority, that we have very little of it for things that have become a great source of division among us. I am not trying to be progressive or contentious. I am just upset about brothers and sisters getting so upset about one of the things God has given to us as a source of and a display of unity, worship.
Let me challenge you with some things that have challenged me and that have caused to me change my mind about our times of public worship as His Church. Here are some things that I find that we regard as integral in our practice that I do not find mentioned or alluded to in scripture. 4 part harmonies, in fact any singing with a vocal melody, Sunday School (or Bible School), pulpits, song leaders, prayer leaders, opening prayers, closing prayers, calling our gatherings "worship". Church buildings, pews, song books (psalms are mentioned but not the psalm book as a song book in worship). The place of public worship being called a "sanctuary". An authorized order of worship. In fact there is no full account of a worship service in the New Testament. In fact there is no reference to the public gatherings of the church being called "services". The offering of an "invitation" at the end of the sermon. In fact the word "sermon" doesn't occur anywhere in the Bible (in the NIV at least). And this is only the beginning of the list.
I am only referring to things in our heritage. If I would got outside our heritage the list would expand greatly. What's my point? It is simply this. Why do we fight so strongly over things that aren't even on the agenda in scripture? I am not saying for one minute that we should cease these practices. I am saying that we should treat them as what they are; traditions that we have. Traditions have their value as long as they are treated as such. When we elevate them to "must do" practices then we go too far. Our faithfulness to God has never been based on our faithfulness to tradition. It has always been based on our faithfulness to Jesus through His word.
More on this later.
I find myself surprised that in a movement that has as one of its highest values, the idea of biblical authority, that we have very little of it for things that have become a great source of division among us. I am not trying to be progressive or contentious. I am just upset about brothers and sisters getting so upset about one of the things God has given to us as a source of and a display of unity, worship.
Let me challenge you with some things that have challenged me and that have caused to me change my mind about our times of public worship as His Church. Here are some things that I find that we regard as integral in our practice that I do not find mentioned or alluded to in scripture. 4 part harmonies, in fact any singing with a vocal melody, Sunday School (or Bible School), pulpits, song leaders, prayer leaders, opening prayers, closing prayers, calling our gatherings "worship". Church buildings, pews, song books (psalms are mentioned but not the psalm book as a song book in worship). The place of public worship being called a "sanctuary". An authorized order of worship. In fact there is no full account of a worship service in the New Testament. In fact there is no reference to the public gatherings of the church being called "services". The offering of an "invitation" at the end of the sermon. In fact the word "sermon" doesn't occur anywhere in the Bible (in the NIV at least). And this is only the beginning of the list.
I am only referring to things in our heritage. If I would got outside our heritage the list would expand greatly. What's my point? It is simply this. Why do we fight so strongly over things that aren't even on the agenda in scripture? I am not saying for one minute that we should cease these practices. I am saying that we should treat them as what they are; traditions that we have. Traditions have their value as long as they are treated as such. When we elevate them to "must do" practices then we go too far. Our faithfulness to God has never been based on our faithfulness to tradition. It has always been based on our faithfulness to Jesus through His word.
Go Chargers
USC may stumble. The Padres may fail at the last. But the Chargers have still got life in them. Denver felt that talent that we knew we had. Hope we can keep it up.
Following sports teams does at least remind of the fact that hope in Christ is the only true hope. He will never let us down.
Following sports teams does at least remind of the fact that hope in Christ is the only true hope. He will never let us down.
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